Commission X rejects education reductions

Lilian Budianto , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 02/21/2008 12:09 PM | National

The House of Representatives' Commission X on education, sports and culture affairs has criticized the government's proposal to slash the education budget by 15 percent.

The government has proposed revising down the budget allocations for all ministries and state institutions by 15 percent this year following the global oil price hike. The skyrocketing oil price, which has been increasing since late last year and touched US$100 per barrel on Tuesday, prompted a revision to the 2008 state budget only a month after its implementation in January.

The proposal would see the Education Ministry receiving Rp 42.2 trillion (US$4.59 billion) or 11 percent of the total 2008 budget. In 2007, the ministry received Rp 44.1 trillion or 11.8 percent of the total budget.

Commission X chairman Irwan Prayitno said the government's proposal would hurt the 1945 Constitution, which required the government to allocate 20 percent of the national budget to education.

"We reject the proposal because the government is obliged by the Constitution to raise the budget allocation for the education sector," he said.

He said if there were to be any reduction in the budget, the government should exclude the education budget because of the mandatory requirement in the Constitution.

The government said the reduction was necessary because the global oil price could raise the government's subsidies for oil-based fuel and electricity to Rp 250 trillion. To meet this, the government would need to reduce other subsidies, including on education.

"The Constitutional Court has upheld the requirement of 20 percent of the budget to be spent on education in two court rulings in recent years. The government has no grounds to insist on its proposal," Irwan said.

Wayan Koster of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and member of Commission X said the cut in the education budget would impinge on a number of plans made by the Education Ministry.

He said it would affect teachers' salaries, the teachers' certification program, the nine-year compulsory study program and renovation of school buildings.

Wayan also encouraged the ministry to improve transparency in its financial accounts after the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) disclaimed the ministry's financial reports for the first semester of 2007.

The Education Ministry is to receive the largest of all budget allocations in 2008, followed by the Defense Ministry and the Public Works Ministry. The financial reports of all three ministries have been disclaimed by the agency.